
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Dr. Valentina Schneider returns to The Change Agent for a second conversation, and this one gets into the research that most leadership advice skips. Valentina recently moved from her PhD work at London Business School into applied leadership advisory, and she brings both the data and the real-world context to bear on a single, uncomfortable question: what if the empathy leaders are praised for is actually making them less effective?
The episode centers on the difference between cognitive and affective empathy, two distinct processes that science has long separated but leadership training still treats as one. Valentina walks through what each type looks like in practice, why one produces better outcomes across nearly every leadership scenario her research examined, and what happens neurologically when a leader absorbs the emotional state of the room rather than reading it. The conversation also covers narcissism, vulnerability, anger management, and the specific pressures female leaders face. If you lead people or work alongside leaders, this episode is worth your time.
00:00 Introduction and Valentina's transition to industry 05:00 Why empathy became a top leadership demand after COVID
08:00 Cognitive vs affective empathy explained
12:00 How each type of empathy plays out when letting someone go
16:00 Emotional contagion and why it makes leaders change course
20:00 The bias problem inside affective empathy
27:00 Cognitive empathy as the leadership superpower 33:00 Empathy, gender labels, and the authority double standard
38:00 Using empathy to defuse anger in the room
43:00 Vulnerability at work and when it backfires
48:00 One thing every leader should take away
Dr. Valentina Schneider LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-sara-schneider-phd/
Our Stuff
Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Music licensed via Soundstripe
Song: Studied Abroad
Artist: Neon Beach
ContentID: LQIWHSG1OOG3LI3I
By The Change Agent PodcastDr. Valentina Schneider returns to The Change Agent for a second conversation, and this one gets into the research that most leadership advice skips. Valentina recently moved from her PhD work at London Business School into applied leadership advisory, and she brings both the data and the real-world context to bear on a single, uncomfortable question: what if the empathy leaders are praised for is actually making them less effective?
The episode centers on the difference between cognitive and affective empathy, two distinct processes that science has long separated but leadership training still treats as one. Valentina walks through what each type looks like in practice, why one produces better outcomes across nearly every leadership scenario her research examined, and what happens neurologically when a leader absorbs the emotional state of the room rather than reading it. The conversation also covers narcissism, vulnerability, anger management, and the specific pressures female leaders face. If you lead people or work alongside leaders, this episode is worth your time.
00:00 Introduction and Valentina's transition to industry 05:00 Why empathy became a top leadership demand after COVID
08:00 Cognitive vs affective empathy explained
12:00 How each type of empathy plays out when letting someone go
16:00 Emotional contagion and why it makes leaders change course
20:00 The bias problem inside affective empathy
27:00 Cognitive empathy as the leadership superpower 33:00 Empathy, gender labels, and the authority double standard
38:00 Using empathy to defuse anger in the room
43:00 Vulnerability at work and when it backfires
48:00 One thing every leader should take away
Dr. Valentina Schneider LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-sara-schneider-phd/
Our Stuff
Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Music licensed via Soundstripe
Song: Studied Abroad
Artist: Neon Beach
ContentID: LQIWHSG1OOG3LI3I